Waste machine



Feb. 17, 1948. -c. P. SMITH ETAL WASTE MACHINE Filed June 6, 1947 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 Chadwick P. Smith James R. Pcmqle Feb. 17, 1948. c, sM H ET I 2,436,338

I WASTE MACHINE Filed Jun 6, 1947 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 swam 1 M Chadwick P. Smhh James R. Pangle Patented Feb. 17, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICZE WASTE MACHINE Chadwick P. Smith and James R. Pangle, Charlotte, N. 0.

Application June 8, 1947, Serial No. 752,940

6 Claims.

from the shredded fiber and to assist in laying the shredded fiber onto a moving belt or table so that the fiber can be removed from the machine. Such machines are used to shred clean waste, even though no dirt is removed, as the air currents created by the fans are necessary to lay the fibers. These machines are bulky. complicated and expensive. Ordinarily, they require the use of a large bin or room into which the exhaust air is discharged to collect the dust and lint, the combination of dust or lint and air in the air ducts and bins or rooms constituting a severe fire hazard.

The objects of this invention are to product a cotton waste machine of simple construction in which clean cotton waste can be shredded and laid without the use of suction or blower fans; to eliminate the use of air ducts, collecting bins or rooms with their accompanying firehazard; to regulate the air currents in the machine so that the staple of the fibers is not broken; and to produce a machine having few moving parts and a high quality performance. V

Generally these objects are obtained by constructing a machine having the usual beater for shredding the waste, and regulating the air blast from the beater by means of a cylindrical screen having a perforated cover thereover which communicates with atmospheric pressure to settle the fibers, the screen in turn assisting in the layingrof the fibers.

The means by which the objects at the inven-i tion are obtained are more fully described with; reference to the accompanying drawings in" which: I

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line 44'of Figure 1.

As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the machine broadly is composed of an endless conveyor A upon which the cotton Waste is deposited and fed to the beater and settling rolls contained in hous-j lllg B, the fiber being ejected from the machine 2 on the conveyor table C. The machine may be constructed of single or multiple units, each unit consisting essentially of a beater and the screening means. Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate two units connected in tandem. Suitable gearing E is provided for driving the various conveyorbelts, feed rolls, beaters and revolving screens.

Housing B is formed with side walls 2 and 4, a front wall 6 and rear wall 8. Mounted at the top of wall 6 are feed rolls I 0 which seize the cotton waste from conveyor A and feedit into the housing B. Y

Mounted within housing B, so as to be'sube stantially tangent-to rolls I0, is the beater drum I2 of the first unit. This drum is provided with teeth I which tear the cotton into shreds as it is fed through rolls l0, and as the drum rotates counter-clockwise, carries the shreds toward the rear of the machine. A curved pan l6 extends beneath drum I2 from adjacent feed rolls ID to' a point rearwardly of the axis of the drum, at which point the pan terminates in a'leather apron ll. Rearwardly and closely adjacent the lower half of the drum is a horizontal-knockoff or baflle plate 18 which serves to remove any clumps-of shreds which may beclinging to the teeth l4, and prevents air currents from blowing the fibers around thedrum where they would become further shredded-and their staple torn. A curved plate 19 extends from plate Hi to the top wall 9 of housing B, the lower edge of this plate being slightly spaced above plate l8. Drum I2 is surmounted by a cover 20, hinged at 22 to wall 9 so that the cover maybe opened for in-l spection. In order that excess air be prevented from entering the housing,-leather aprons 24 and 26 are secured to cover 20 and to pan l6, -respec-' tively, to lap rolls Ill. Similarly leather apron l1.

forms an air seal between pan "5 and endless belt 30. The air gap between plates I 8 and I9 is closedby the leather apron 2 l I Endless belt 30 is inclined upwardly and rearwardly for the purpose of laying the fibers in cooperation witheylindrical screen 32, and to deliver the shredded waste to thesecond of the tandem units; Screen cylinder 32 is journaled in the side walls of housing B and is spaced from- /2 to 1% inches from belt 30. .Above cylinder 32- is a perforated cover 34 through which cylinder 32 communicates with the atmosphere. The per-= forations are approximately A inch in diameterand extend over substantially the entire area of the curved cover. Cover 34 has a clearance ranging from /2 to 1 /2 inches above cylinder 32, an

is hinged at 36 to top wall 9.

The use of the leather aprons to provide air seals between the various members of the machine is important in the maintaining of the air flow and pressures created by the rotation of beater l2. This principle is further followed by having a clearance between the side walls 2 and 4 and beater l2, belt 30, and cylinder 32 of A; inch or less. Pan I6, curved plate 19 located to the rear of beater 1 2, ande kn'oclt 91i ,plate IB respectively; contact and are secured tole ach side wall in substantially air tight fashion.

The operation of this unit is as follows:

Cotton waste is moved on conveyor A into feed rolls [0 which force the waste into contact.

with the teeth M on beater [2. The beaterrevolves at a speed depending on the 'typdfWasg e being shredded, a typical speed being about? R. P. M. Teeth l4 tear shreds firo'm the'lwas'te,

the shredded material being thrown byi impact and carried by the air blast created by therv'blv tewardcyl nd rezr Belt- 3o and sc'renfuere driVen' at m an slower "speetistnaa-beat l2? Lightershre'dsare earned by the air'mirrent to cylindei 32 where the air passes throughthis sore" depositing the particles" on" the" siirfac'e thei eoffhsithe cylirider rotat s, thesenterstn thes e eer dro pee on ten ofthaheavir'partic l es which were previous y "laid on'bejt 30, "it being njqteu th'aif estates th'roughthetofi'side of eyunaer 32,'"throiig h per'iforated cover 34,150 thefatniosphere. M errems also pass upwardly between the rear edge o'f plat l8 ahd cylinder 32; over the et'rrace er 1igia jr' 32 into the spaee eet een the cylinderjl'and perforated cover 314, 'a etmwardiy through thepenetee eemn cover; 'l'he' lightest particles; fiber shred 6r'lii it" are carried'by thisfair current upwards over the surface of" cylihder 32-. As 'the airispas'sin thrdeg rthe "surface of thecylindrfmiich of the"s hre'ds and li "nt' are deposited at the cylinder andajre brought dawn w t e belt so. s enserene er ant may becarried nto the spate "betwe n t e top" or c'ylif idrBZ and cover '34 fall on top "of thebylindr because the an drops; t'eatmospnjerie pres;

sine and 'siib'stantianyrertyeleeity f t escapes through the perforationsin ester-3g: The rot tioii"of" cylinder'32"biflirigsthis finally 11 pe n'iatter down tdbe'lt 30.- "It hasbee'n noted that cylinder 32 is spaced from 't ten/2 inchesaiiove belt The he vier pairti cles of Shredded cotton; the beginning ojfjashredding' "operation quickly pile upenbeIt 30 mrmrwnm moved beneath cylinder 32, are slig 'h'tly' @m ressa time cy1iiidr','a'nd byiilling tneepa e between the cylinder and'belt "rem-rm egeetjaa air seal at thispoint,""'l'hebnlk of the an is directed thereforethrough the scre n" surf fafce' 'ofcylir'iderfli The: retati er the oylinder ciifitinuously'deposits E t "better in rs; and lint.

upon the heavier material. No material is carried through the full rotation of the cylinder 32 as the space rearwardly of the cylinder to the upper end of belt 30 is at substantially atmospheric pressure. It is also noted that there is suiiicient flexibility in the belt 30 to allow for unequal thicknesses of material deposited upon belt 30 so that the space between the belt and cylinder will be rilledwithout iamming s eet -i .e $i mtfiii l o th -t rolls Illa of the second unit which is constructed and operates exactly as the first unit, the material passing from the beater l2a, guided by pan Ilia, ifioTlbltviilla, and cylinder 32a, air being exhausted th ugh perfgrated cover 34a, and the material iii nauisen'argeden conveyor table 0. A flexible metal plate 40 secured to the rear edge of top .1 wallefli has its'liree edge resting on belt 30a to fprmanair seal at this point. "Th''n'i'achine is characterized particularly in that the auxiliary suction or blower fans employed 'by" priorart devices are' eliminated, this being possible by using the air eur're'nt "created sy fbeater 12 to deliver the shredded material to the space betweeh'the heater and cylinder 32, and by gradually dropping the air to atmospheric pressure by directing the bulkcf the air through cylinder 32' and'thenthrough' perforated cover 341" Althoughf'the" machine has been described, for co ven ence, 'in the shreddingpf cotton waste, iti's 'appa'rent' that its utility {extends to the shredding" of an kinds of fibrous r'n'ateria'ls.

-Having now described the means bywhich the objectsof the invention are obtained, we claim: "1. In awast'e machine having beater means for s'hredding waste fiberniaterial, a compartnient'co'inmunic'atihg rearwardly of said beater, e endieseeenveyei forming a movable bottom for said compartment; andacylindrical rotatable screen forming the rear end wall of said comparchment and sngnny spac d from saidfconveyor,

saiateinpanm'ent otherwise being substantially air-tight to channel air currents from'said beater to said screen, the improvement comprising a perforated "cover extending over said screenf whereby air currents flowing from ,said compartn m'ent" through said creen are retarded by said cover-"when pasjsihg'therethrough into the atmesphere? a'rnaw ste machine as in claim 1, the fur-:

ther improvement comprising said cover being space-ween" said screen to provide an opening betweensaid screen and cover, and communicating'fwith said chine a '3; 'In a'waste ther improve je I ciiredtosaid machine adjacent said cover and having its f re end yieldably resting upon sai in claim 2, the furateria ebe n e e ted from said ma hin t form at, s'aid'conveyd.

' slightly spaced from and extending over a portion of the periphery of said screen to provide an opening between said screen. and cover, and communicating with said compartment. 7

5. In a waste machine as in claim 4, said cover being of arcuate section and having perforations extending radially thereof.

"6. 'In a waste machine having beater means for hreddin were that enter t s. a e meer n 1 ,1 fi mp d i 'r et m mb n eiy i e rner cited/sat en wh b d. freeedge'will be lifted by and ride upon waste t el ee eime a et ea material as in claim 1, the furcommunicating rearwardly of said beater. an endless conveyor forming a movable bottom for said compartment, and a, cylindrical rotatable screen forming the rear end wall of said compartment and slightly spaced from said conveyor, said compartment otherwise being substantially air-tight to channel air currents from said beater to said screen, the improvement comprising a cover having openings therethrough extending over said screen and slightly spaced therefrom to provide communication with said compartment and the space between said cover and screen so that said air currents pass in part over and outwardly of said screen, the remaining air currents passing through said screen, whereby air currents flowing from said compartment over and through said screen are retarded by said cover when passing therethrough into the atmosphere.

CHADWICK P. SMITH. 90

JAMES R. PANGLE,

6 REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 425,715 Tlndeil et al. Feb. 15, 1890 452,552 Eberhardt May 19, 1891 1,941,104 Moss Dec. 26, 1933 2,024,469 Mitchell 1 Dec. 17, 1935 2,071,438 Shorter et al. Feb. 23, 1937 2,086,517 Aldrich July 13, 1937 2,157,684 Williams et al'. May 9, 1939 2,299,022 Kinard Oct, 13, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 14,927 Great Britain 1885 26,272 Great Britain 1898 78,030 Germany Nov; '10, 1894 

